WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. - Sam Castronova has taken the scenic route towards becoming an NFL prospect. Despite a standout career at Williamsville South, he didn't earn any Division-I interest after high school.

"I wasn't trying to be cocky, but I felt I was good enough to play better than Division-III football," he says.

Castronova hoped he could revive his D-I hopes after two seasons with Erie Community College, but that didn't happen either; his only D-I offers were from schools who wanted him to walk on without a scholarship. He had better luck in the NAIA, playing two years at Bethel University in Tennessee.

"I knew I had a chance to play right away," he says. "The only place I could have walked on was UB, because financially, I didn't want to put myself and my family in that debt. That's why I didn't walk-on anywhere. At Bethel, I was pretty much covered. $25,000 school, and I got a scholarship. I maybe paid $300 a semester. It worked out pretty good."

After earning the starting spot, Castronova blossomed in his second season at Bethel. He led the NAIA's highest-scoring team this season, totaling 34 touchdowns in the process. While he concedes that NAIA competition isn't the same as Division-I competition, there are still players who will eventually land in the NFL.

"The year before my senior year, two guys got picked up in the NFL," he says. "You get a lot of D-I bouncebacks either because of grades, or because they got kicked out. Also, there's guys that didn't make the grade. [The GPA requirement is] 2.5 for D-I, it's only 2.0 to make it in the NAIA. Some of the guys who are better athletes just didn't make grades, they can play in the NAIA."

Castronova understands that making the NFL is an uphill battle. He didn't have Division-I offers after high school, and didn't have any offers for D-I full rides after community college.  Castronova gets inspiration from his loved ones, who don't think his NFL dreams are out of reach.

"My support staff's pretty amazing. My family and my friends have supported me. I haven't had anybody say "you should give up" yet. I'm going to chase it as long as I can," he says.

Castronova attended UB's pro day and the Bills' local pro day - NFL personnel have praised his solid footwork and smooth mechanics despite his small-school background.